The Ones We Fear
by BisousBisous
Summary: Zelda Boatag feared the worst when she became engaged to her handsome, intimidating childhood friend, Pilar who is a rising Downworld Hunter. She possess powers that are considered illegal, and when a dangerous situation forces her to use them, she is exposed. Her nightmare becomes a reality when to preserve his honor, Pilar ultimately must hunt her down after she flees.
1. Prologue

**prologue.**

Her eyes were silver, he remembered that much and she possessed skin that was the color of gold and rich, Earth-soil hues. Beauty was not foreign to her, no doubt. Her dark hair was always wild, parallel to her personality, and when tamed, she was tamed. Her height never worried him for he was monstrous compared to her, but it worried most. She was a strange being, no doubt, but she was the only being that conceived this _gentle kiss_ that came directly from her beautiful, humble heart. Because of this, she was also hated.

But he adored her. He loved her.

There is nothing in the world that could change the way in which he felt about her. Not even what he born to do, because his eyes were too occupied pouring affection for her. His heart often flittered at the thought of her Eyes, her Hair, her Skin.

He could almost feel her kisses, even when so far from her. They were like ice upon his skin. Not the negative kind. The kind of tingly relief when the cold touches your skin after being under scrutiny of the summer Sun. Her kisses always felt as such. Yes, like _relief._ Reassurance.

And she was young. _He was young, _but he feared the future greatly. That fear of losing her overshadowed his need to be with her. He never thought that love could be so painful. That his heart would always feel this great amount of agony, saturated with_ her._

He swallowed this thick nervousness in his throat.

In the dead of winter, his forehead was matted with sweat. He usually never felt the armor that he always wore before a Hunt, but that time he truly felt its muscle draining weight. On countless occasions people have told him that his eyes would decay into this, dark determined color that completely opposed his normal azure. But this ocular phenomena would always occur under the circumstances of his duty.

His eyes were set on the thin dagger before him. A small thing, wielded not from silver, nor gold, but from iron. Its edges were not smooth. The blade itself was not attractive, but the power it possessed was. In its handle was a small boring imbedded stone. It had no specific color, and it was not beautiful, just like the blade, but it was the source of everything. It was such a dangerous jewel, that the rest of its kind was hidden. Only few knew of its whereabouts.

And at that moment he hated everything about that jewel and about the dagger he so desperately wanted to hold as a young boy. Because that weapon was the only weapon that could destroy her. As he reached out and gripped the handle, he felt his heart squeezing and crushing.

He gasped out loud feeling the resonance between his soul and the dagger, but even though it felt so euphoric, he cursed the Heavens.

Fair, certainly did not exist in life.


	2. The First Few Lies

**Chapter One**

**The First Few Lies**

_"It is a type of...internal hunger that is nearly _

_impossible to satisfy."_

Her stomach had formed the thickest knot possible, the kind that would take hours of self tranquility to detangle. Her mother, Marin pinched her again for the excessive tapping of her foot. Naturally Zelda shot her mother an irritated glare, blowing air through her flaring nostrils. Then the woman mouthed to her eldest daughter, _a woman always, always sits still_. Zelda rolled her eyes in response. She simply could not. Her mouth was dry. Her silk kerchief felt incredibly tight around her neck even after several attempts of loosening it with her lacy gloved index finger.

She had dreaded that day for a very long time. It used to make her gnaw at her nails. It made her pace in her bedroom for hours and even caused her to drift far away during the most important lessons at the school house. She could not even understand why. Neither could her mother.

That evening, Sera Ozoldolsk was going to host the engagement dinner between her eldest son Pilar, and his long time love Zelda, but no one could really understand why their love was one sided. Zelda sighed. She did _love _him, that much was true, but she certainly was not _in love_ with him. Pilar was Pilar. Ever since they were young Zelda had known Pilar to be very earnest, pragmatic and even intimidating. So yes there was a slight reluctance when he visited her home one day and placed his mother's union wreath upon her head. He bowed.

"Will you spend the rest of your life with me even after death?" he asked. Her mother described her eyes to be wider than a colossal ogre's. She was so scared and so overwhelmed. She hadn't realized the Pilar had felt the exact same way. She watched him drop his stoic appearance, and panic slightly for he raised his head anxiously to look at her.

"Of–of course I will Pilar," she finally said. The breath of relief that left him was so loud that it startled her. The kiss that they unexpectedly shared afterward nearly forced her out of her own skin. She hadn't known of the agreement their parents had made, but Zelda at least understood that the agreement was necessary.

The house of Pilar Ozoldolsk was anything but a simple house. It was one of the largest and well known homes of Staatsembruge. It was the Sun. As the carriage traveled up the steep road called Leance (after a great Downworld Hunter) the stately home seemed to rise above the horizon. It sat right in the center of the setting Sun. Zelda suddenly felt embarrassed for arriving so late to her fiancé's home. Fortunately she had enough time to change and dress for the dinner party.

It was the Ozoldolsk Manor, no doubt that they were rapidly approaching. Upon its Mansard roof, a decent sized flag was erected. It was a grey color, though Zelda knew it was grey from experience. Under the fading natural light, it appeared to be a darker color. In the middle of the flag was a white jagged bolt. It was Pilar's family symbol.

The whole manicured front lawn of Pilar's home was quite a magnificent sight. Her mother had to pull her back into her seat, for her face was nearly pressed against the window pane.

"This isn't the first time you've been here!" Her mother snapped.

"Yes I know," Zelda said without looking at her. "But I feel the same way every time I see it."

"You are so dramatic, I swear."  
"Oh leave me be mum. _Please_," Zelda cried.

"I'm simply trying to prevent you from showing your foolish side!" Marin hissed.

"You can't suppress that!" Zelda smirked. "Stop trying."

The driver brought the carriage right in front of the iron gate. Two tall guards dressed in black uniformly opened it. Zelda wondered why they even needed guards. Pilar, his father and his brothers were _more_ than capable of protecting their home.

Sir Grieg Ozoldolsk was a renowned Hunter, revered by the mundane folk and Adhenes. He was the best friend of Zelda's father. They were apart of the same Hunt team. She spent a lot of time at his home when she was younger, playing with his three sons who were rising Hunters, Pilar being one of the strongest. That was all before her father's death.

It was her first time seeing their house in years. Its pearl white exterior color had yet to change. It was something that cause her jaw to drop, and heart to race.

The driver continue to direct the carriage around the semi-circle of Pilar's driveway. He stopped the carriage right in front of the marble staircase. No doubt, waiting upon those steps were Grieg, his wife, sons and servants.

That was when her heart began to flutter. It pounded in her ears, creating a strong headache that pulsed in her temples. She couldn't even make out the words her mother was saying to her.

"Zelda!" Marin snapped.

"Yes?" she whirled in her seat to face her mother.

"Your locket?" was all she said. Zelda's hands flew to her chest. The silver pendant was right where it was supposed to be. She breathed a sigh of great relief. She looked at her mother, who wore a hard worried expression. "You must remember that you are in a different home. You cannot let your guard down. Never, _ever_ let your guard down. If they find out _what_ you are, then they will kill you."  
Zelda was silent, allowing her mother's words to sink in deep under skin and into her cluttered consciousness. She narrowed her eyes, "Then why did you agree to this? Why did you start this whole thing?"

"You know why!" Marin snapped. Zelda most definitely did know why, but before her mind could drift on her purpose behind marrying Pilar, her door opened. A young dark haired footman had his hand extended out to her.

"Miss Zelda, please, my hand." He gestured for her to take it, which she did. Her aquatic green day dress _swooshed_ under her as she stepped down from her carriage. She had to suppress that strong urge just to jump down. When her feet had finally touched the smooth paved floor, she was ambushed by Sera. Pilar's mother wrapped her arms tightly around Zelda, squeezing every bit of life from her.

"Here she is! My girl! My_ girl_! Oh it's so good to see you again after all these years. Oh! You're just so precious, so _beautiful_." She kissed Zelda's cheeks repeatedly. "Pilar!" she shouted roughly. "Come and greet your _fiancee!_ AH! I never thought I see the day to say that word."

Zelda's eyes flickered to the tall young man, whose white sleeves were rolled up around his elbows. His dark wavy hair fell into his azure colored eyes, and looked so pleasant against his fair skin. His lips were curved into an amused smile, yet he somewhat frowned when his mother had called out to him. Zelda knew he wasn't a fan of showing any sort of public affection. Neither was she.

As he approached, she felt as though she were the lead in a play. The drama that surrounded his walk to greet her was so great; she was so tempted to step back. Instead she stepped forward, by way of Sera, and allowed Pilar to plant a sweet polite kiss on the corner of her mouth.

"That is quite the charm around your neck," he whispered.

She looked up at him and feigned offense. "I hope you aren't looking at my _breasts _Pilar, because I assure you we will not be having _the sex_ until _after_ marriage." She wanted to surrender to her own humor after witnessing his ears redden. His eyes were wide, his mouth opened.

He clenched his jaw, cleared his throat. "Might I ask who gave it to you?"

"My father."

"Oh, right," he cleared his throat once again.

"Marin! Aren't they just so cute?" Sera exclaimed. Before Marin could answer, Grieg roared with his gruff laughter. "My son cute? Please Sera, spare us. It's very good to see you again Zelda, you've grown up to be quite the beautiful woman. It's certainly is a good thing that you stole all of your mother's looks because Zlatan was an unfortunate looking man."

He laughed, and his audience laughed. Though Zelda and her mother knew very well that Zelda did not look like her mother. It was just a coincidence really, that people often mistook for resemblance. Marin and Zlatan weren't her real parents. However, Zelda and Marin did share the same Earth toned brown skin and long, thick kinky dark hair. Zelda's parents were people she did not know, nor cared to know. That is why she always explained Marin and Zlatan to be simply her parents, even though they naturally weren't.

"Zelda Smelled Yah!" Rocio, Pilar's youngest brother, who had yet to lose his infant chubbiness even at the age of seventeen greeted Zelda. His hair was flaxen, unlike his mother's and brothers'. However he and Pilar possessed the same eye shape and color. He pulled Zelda into a massive, masculine hug that left her frazzled.

Then it was Thaeo's turn, who was the most sensitive brother which his family often explains he inherited from his grandfather. He gently kissed Zelda's cheeks and grinned. Two little holes formed in his cheeks.

Zelda smiled back. "You haven't changed!" She pinched his cheeks. "The dimps are still there!"

He waved her hand away. "Yes but they do attract the _ladies_." His brothers grimaced. "It's proper weird when you say _ladies_ mate," Rocio explained. Thaeo shrugged.

"Come, come inside sweetheart," Sera clutched Zelda's elbow. "I'm positive you want to eat something since you've been in the carriage for ages."

"Three hours isn't so bad," Zelda shrugged.

Sera sighed, "Well it's a dreadful idea to think about." They began to follow everyone inside the house until Zelda gasped. "My _things!_ I forgot to get my bags." Sera laughed. It was a snooty laugh that came from her hooked nose. "Don't worry about that dear, the servants will take care of that."

Before Zelda could protest, her mother turned around and shot her a warning glare. She swallowed, and allowed Sera to drag her inside. Slowly she walked down the main corridor that had a floor secretly embedded in the finest gold from Sajeedija and walls painted in a rich dark red. There were several family portraits as well as commissioned paintings cluttered across the wall. At the end of the hall–Zelda specifically remembered this–there was a large long mirror. One would then have to make the choice to either go left or right, and obviously not forward.

Zelda followed Sera as she went to the left. They were headed to the family room, which Zelda also remembered it's teal color and white and silver accented furniture. As soon as they reached the family room, Sera placed Zelda on a comfortably cushioned white couch right next to Pilar.

Thaeo and Rocio had excused themselves.

"I never realized I raised such _rude_ boys," Sera cussed.

"We've got things to do woman! Weapons to sharpen! Moves to perfect!" Rocio explained. "We'll be back when it's time to feast."

"Naturally," Sera rolled her eyes. Their father however laughed appreciatively. In all the commotion, Zelda had failed to realize Pilar had placed his hand upon her knee. She sighed miserably. _What's wrong with me?_ she thought. Pilar was beautiful, and he was a _good_ young man. Why wasn't she jumping for joy?

Her thoughts were interrupted by Sera's grumbling and her mothers idle chatter. "They're great boys, Sera. You shouldn't worry yourself."

"They're spoiled!" Sera snapped lightly; there was a smile on her face.

"And I wonder who is responsible for that?" Grieg's handsome eyes lit up at his clever response. His large hands gripped the armrest of his personal chair fully. Pilar certainly got his height from his father, for Grieg Ozoldolsk was a large man.

"I do not spoil those boys," Sera stuck out her tongue. "It's that violence their exposed to that makes them so difficult."

"She gives me grief about this every day Zelda. After today you'll realize it," Grieg rolled his eyes. Then to Sera, "It's their job. Must I explain this to you every time?"  
"It's a noble job at that," Marin straightened in her seat.

"Of course," Sera nodded. "Where is Mael with those snacks?" Sera muttered.

"Don't stress yourself Sera," Marin said. "They're probably busy preparing for tonight."

"Yes but you've been on such a long journey."

"We're fine!" Zelda claimed. "In fact, I don't mean to be so rude myself, but I was hoping I could perhaps, wash up before the dinner tonight."

"Oh!" Sera jumped out of her seat. "Of course." She whirled around towards the main entrance of the family room and cussed. "Pilar, please, show her to her room."

He said nothing, but got to his feet. He held out his hand, she took it, and he helped her to her feet. She initially followed him in silence. She never felt so distant from him before, but of course they hadn't seen each other in _years_, except for that one special visit, so it was expected. Fortunately he was brave enough not to stay quiet.

"I would be lying if I said I wasn't glad that you're here."

She didn't look at him, but she felt his eyes on her. She began to feel paranoia creep up on her, for she felt as though he could see right through the glamour that her locket had created. The glamour that hid her _extraordinary _features from him.

"Are you happy to be here?" he asked her.

"Very," she said.

"You don't have to lie to me," he said. That killed her, because she definitely did have too. "I don't expect you to adjust so quickly."

"I'm happy Pilar," she smiled. "I'm happy. I'm just in awe is all."

"Awe?" he repeated.

"Yes, it's a lot to take in. I can't believe that I'm going to live here...with you...because we're to be married!"

He looked up, "Oh. Well then yes, I suppose I agree with you."

"But that doesn't necessarily mean that's a terrible thing Pilar," she explained, though she halfheartedly meant it. "I am very glad to see you again. Very pleased. But things are very different between us. We aren't the same care free, wild ankle biters we used to be."

He sighed. "Right of course, I understand. It'll take some time for you to get used to things. I understand."

"Good," she said softly. She was unsure of his personal uncertainty. His eyes were distant; they were always distant, except when he looked directly into hers. It was weird. She could not perfect the ability to read the consciousness of other, nor would she really want too, but when Pilar looked at her she could sometimes involuntarily feel the love he felt for her. She wondered, where and when those affections began, and she had yet to attach a point in time to it.

She seemed to follow him down this blood red corridor for quite sometime before he stopped in front of a white bedroom door. Even though there was most likely no one behind it, for it was _her_ room, Pilar still knocked. After a slight pause he opened it.

"Your favorite color. Enjoy," he said stepping aside to allow her in. It was her favorite color indeed. A oceanic blue. Not like the light tropical blue of the Caribs, but a dark wondrous blue, like night. A night room with a ceiling dotted in celestial stars that glimmered.

"Generally magic is forbidden in this home, but since this spell is considered 'legal' I requested it to be added to your room. I know how much you love them–they're real you know. Beyond the day, you could see what the blue sky prevents you from seeing."

"No!" she gasped. "You lie!"

He laughed a bit. "No, no it's true."

"Wow, _beyond me_." Her silver eyes were wide and frozen. "Wow, oh wow." She noticed her bags right beside her canopy silver colored bed. It was the same silver of her eyes, that Pilar not so secretly loved.

"_Wow_," he mocked her. "I've got to get going. I myself must start getting ready–I've been training all morning."

Her eyes darted to his. She swallowed this heavy lump in her throat. "Training, huh?" Training to hunt beings like her. Beings that weren't them. She tried to avoid thinking of how she could associate herself with people of Pilar's kind. Hunters, whom are all men, possess _pure _powers, so to speak. Power that were good. It was a kind of necessary natural steroid that enhanced their ability to maintain order around the World, because Downworlders: Fairies, Witches, Warlocks, Trolls, Nymphs, Mermaids, Vampires, Dhamphyrs (who are much more dangerous) Völvas, Lycanthropes, Sirens; they were not considered to be worthy of roaming freely.

Zelda begged to differ. Whose to say they don't belong? If they didn't belong, why were they there in the first place? She believed it to be simple logic, but that's just the way things were. Zelda could not put a label on what she was, neither could her adoptive parents, but whatever she was, according to the laws of the Order, it was dangerous.

"I train _very_ often," he narrowed his eyes. "If that's something you don't fancy, then you must. Very soon."

"No!" she cried. "It's expected. You are one of the best Hunters, so I've heard. Hopefully tonight I will see members of your cadre."

He smiled. He stepped out into corridor again. She placed her hand upon the door knob.

"I'm very proud of you Pilar," she said truthfully. _And I fear you,_ she wanted to add, but instead she said, "And I'm positive that I will be very happy with you. You're a _good_ man. Always have been and I already can tell that you always will be."

She closed her door.

There was a long mirror dramatically leaned against the wall. She first hurried to open the drawn curtains of her tall windows, that gave the impression they were dead in the night. When she opened them, she was greeted with the fading purple and pink hues of the sky.

She shrugged.

Her long legs carried her towards the mirror. Before she could clearly see herself, she closed her eyes. Her hands loosened the kerchief around her neck, and then the buttons of her dress.

Then she opened her eyes. She sighed.

There subtly upon her skin, was the tattoo that the glamour hid. It was a silver tattoo, like her eyes. It meandered up her neck and onto the left side of her face in a complex foreign manner. That was only a small portion of the whole thing. It covered her entire torso and legs. and arms. Only when threatened or when she felt the full brunt of her powers did the tattoo glow bright.

She twisted the locket around her neck idly.

Zlatan had taught her to rid her mind of any sort of hate, but she most definitely _hated_ to hide from the world, and more importantly to herself.


End file.
